Nirvana. Now available by the cup.

I LOVE vanilla chai, and a good friend gave me a box of vanilla chai mix to try. I tried it today, and while it was good, it was not quite the spiritual experience that it was advertised to be. The box cracks me up...

"Dizzy in the Himalayas, we took a sip of destiny from a cup with a peculiar crack. Chai. Ancient blend of spice and spirit. We conspired to slip this cat out of its bag. With a yin for yang, cinnamon & honey, we had a vanilla bean and we weren't afraid to use it. At last we found it. The cup of wonder. Oregon Chai Tea Latte. Hare rama, holy moly and Louie Louie all rolled into one. Oregon Chai Tea Lattes. Hot or cold, the official drink of the human race." and "Now you can create nirvana anywhere. Inside these 8 pouches lies the magic of Oregon chai. Pure. Natural. And created for your instant gratification. Find nirvana at your desk or on the run. Slip a packet in your pocket and discover enlightenment. Add some ice and transcend reality. Easy as a breeze, but even more refreshing."

Anyway, I enjoyed the mix & the ridiculousness.

The idea that a tea could give you enlightenment is pretty precarious, but I'm sure there's someone out there that will buy this stuff seriously considering the idea. I googled nirvana and found a lot on Buddism and the nineties rock band, and it just hit me how simple it would be for someone curious enough and/or lost enough to really get into. It's only by God's grace that that isn't me. Without the filter of the Holy Spirit, how deep could I get?

I am the youth group leader for the 4th-6th graders at church. It's a tiny group with not much involvement, but it's been an awesome experience for me. I'm basically just hanging out with a couple of girls, mentoring and having fun. They're great and I love it - the questions they have about life and the ideas they have about scriptures keep me on my toes and have given me a ton of blessings. A couple of weeks ago other religions came up and different stuff that other people believe and they told me they'd really like to learn more about that. It was crazy to me that an 11 year-old and a 9 year-old would have so many really tough questions, but I'm totally up for digging with them and finding the answers.

Now I'm wondering though, is this something that I should study with them? I wish that someone had encouraged me to ask questions and really try to understand faith when I was that young and growing up in church. If they're gonna be curious about this, I love that they're asking me and looking towards church for the answers, but...i don't know. Maybe I should talk to their parents about it and see if they're alright with it. The girls have both accepted Christ, but they're so young and it's hard to tell just how much they understand. Maybe this is just me being scared. Knowing that I'm in a position to really influence these girls is pretty intimidating. I love it, but I'm still scared of it. We'll see, I guess.

For now, I think I'll mix myself another cup of nirvana. :]